Detroit Lions part ways with Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn
Matt Patricia lasted just 43 games before he was fired by the Detroit Lions
Following a 9-7 finish in 2017, Detroit Lions’ general manager Bob Quinn opted to part ways with head coach Jim Caldwell. It was somewhat of a surprising move considering the well-regarded mentor had compiled a 36-28 regular-season record in four seasons and led the club to the postseason twice. Enter former New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
And things got off to a rough start when the club laid an egg on Monday Night Football against the visiting New York Jets via a 48-17 loss. Two weeks later, the Lions knocked off the New England Patriots in primetime and perhaps the team had something in their newest sideline leader.
In retrospect, that may have been the high point for the team these last two-plus seasons. Via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the head coach and Quinn were relieved of their jobs on Saturday.
Patricia’s stay in the Motor City resulted in a 13-29-1 record. Detroit finished 6-10 during his debut campaign and was actually off to a 2-0-1 start a year ago. But the Lions started to find ways to lose instead of how to win. Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford would also miss the final eight games in ’19 and all told, the club dropped its final nine contests to finish 3-12-1.
Early on this year, the Lions made a habit out of jumping out to double-digit leads while failing to hold onto them. Witness setbacks to the Bears, Packers and Saints. On Thanksgiving Day, Patricia’s squad was humbled by Deshaun Watson and the Texans, 41-25.
In 11 games this year, Detroit has allowed a disturbing 328 points, an average of 29.8 points per contest. ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Michael Rothstein) reports that offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will be the team’s interim head coach.
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Patricia is the third NFL head coach to lose his job in 2020. Earlier this season, the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons parted ways with Bill O’Brien and Dan Quinn, respectively. It will be interesting to see what the next step is for Patricia. Perhaps more importantly, where do the Lions go from here?